UPDATE: Sunday's performance has been rescheduled for Wednesday evening
“We are pleased to report that we have been able to schedule an additional performance of "the Nutcracker" for this Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. at Fauquier High School,” said spokesperson Joel Haspel for the Lasley Performing Arts Center.
According to Haspel, The Lasley Centre will honor all unused tickets from this past weekend’s shows, either Saturday’s or Sunday’s.
For ticketholders who are unable to attend the Wednesday show, the Lasley Centre will issue at refund upon request. Ticket holders can submit a request for a refund at the Eventbritew website: http://lasleynutcracker.eventbrite.com/
Additional tickets for Wednesday night’s performance are also being offered at that site.
UPDATE: Sunday's performance is cancelled.
The Lasley Centre thanks all who attended "The Nutcracker" this weekend, but a representative sends her regrets that Sunday's 4 p.m. performance is cancelled.
"Unfortunately, the Fauquier High School facility is closed today due to the inclement weather," said a spokesperson for the performing arts centre.
The message goes on to say, "We will issue a full refund for your tickets. We are exploring options for a possible alternative date, and will notify you if we are able to coordinate a makeup performance."
A representative from the Lasley Centre thanked everyone for their patronage, and said she hopes to see them at future shows.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: "Lasley Centre Performs 'The Nutcracker' this Weekend"
The Lasley Centre for the Performing Arts will perform its rendition of the “The Nutcracker” Saturday Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. at Fauquier High School theatre.
The Lasley Centre is a premiere dance studio in Warrenton Virginia, providing dance lessons for children and adults in ballet and point, modern, tap, jazz, hip hop, ballroom and other styles of dance taught by professional, experienced teachers.
The Lasley Centre opened its doors at Vint Hill in June of 2011, meeting at the Faquier County Parks & Recreation gym facility. As of this past October, it has opened a new state-of-the-art facility along Lineweaver Road just miles from Prince William County off Vint Hill Road.
The new facility offers 9,000 square feet, including two floors that provide studios, dressing rooms, a lobby, offices and storage space. There are three separate dance studios, including two that encompass nearly 2,500 square feet each, one of which has 18-foot ceilings. The building also includes energy-efficient LED lighting features and, according to Executive Director Kalie Lasley, a sprung subfloor under
two layers of hardwood flooring, which is easier on the dancers' joints and congruous with the design of professional studios.
“We left no stone unturned in our effort to convert this former warehouse into a truly state-of-the-art dance facility,” said Lasley. “Every detail has been considered, down to the precise diameter of the custom-made barres on the walls.”
However, Lasley said it is the instructors who make the real difference in the Lasley Centre. The Lasley Centre’s nine instructors only teach the genre of dance they have studied for years and performed professionally. Collectively, their credentials include performances with the San Francisco Ballet, Ailey II, the Joffrey Ballet, the Bertram Ross Dance Co., the Batsheva Dance Co., Nat Horn Musical Theatre, the Kathy Harty Gray Dance Theatre and lead roles on Broadway and network television.
“All of our teachers teach what they perform. You won’t see the modern dance teacher teaching hip hop or vice-versa,” Lasley said.
While Lasley said less experienced teachers could and often do teach children at other dance studios, she wanted her teachers to prepare students using traditional methods, so that should they chose to pursue dancing as career path they will be well-prepared for professional auditions.
“For the students, with the real focus on correct technique, they get strength, form and a clarity of movement that will allow them to audition other places and be competitive,” Lasley said.
She also makes sure her students understand the correct form as they develop their bodies physically. To accomplish this she uses several teaching aids, including “Mr. Bones,” the resident model of the skeletal system who is often dressed to match the season, to teach the students about proper movement and help them avoid injuries.
Another difference between the Lasley Centre and most other dance schools is that Lasley made the decision not to run a competition school, preferring to have her dancers focus on traditional performances, good technique, the art of portraying a character through dance and working together as a traditional performing company.
Because of her school’s traditional focus, Lasley expects their ballet production of “The Nutcracker” to showcase the high level of instruction her school offers. And while some dance studios cast their ballets using dancers from outside companies, Lasley has included only its own dancers and instructors. She said the interplay between the younger and older students performing as one company is beneficial to both age groups.
And while the school is serious about dancing, Lasley also creates a nurturing environment for her students.
“It’s a positive environment,” Lasley explained, where instructors communicate with their students without ordering them around like drill sergeants. “It’s a happy, safe place for our children, and parents love it.”
Ballet and modern dance teacher, Belén Rodas said she wanted to teach at the Lasley Centre because she appreciates the excellent instruction the school offers.
“I appreciate the classical dance focus and not buying into what is new. It’s what I grew up with and what I was looking for for my children,” Rodas said.
The Lasley Centre also rejects the notion that dance instruction needs to include gimmicks, games, or free dance time designed to get students to enjoy dance; nor do they focus on what is popular in clubs or with pop stars in music videos right now.
Lasley said her teachers prefer to work with students who already find dancing to be fun. Except for the very young students, who do engage in free-dance, in all other classes instructional time is spent learning techniques and performance routines.
Lasley also has plans to expand the dance school into different performance areas, saying she named it the Lasley Centre for the Performing Arts so it could serve a variety of purposes. She would eventually like to include drama classes, yoga, martial arts and Broadway style musicals. She also hopes to offer classes so that parents can take a yoga or pilates class while their children take a dance class.
The Lasley Centre for the Performing Arts' performance of “The Nutcracker” costs $15 for adults and $12 for senior citizens and children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at https://lasleynutcracker.eventbrite.com/ or at the door.
For more information about “The Nutcracker” or The Lasley Centre for the Performing Arts, visit lasleycentre.com.
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